The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18th. Enjoy next week off!

2. Great Tomato Sale this Saturday (Tomorrow) at the Richmond Library

The UC Master Gardeners are hosting their annual Great Tomato Sale at the Richmond Main Library (325 Civic Center Plaza) this Saturday, April 8th from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM.

This event features a wide variety of tomatoes and other plants and veggies for sale at affordable prices. The Master Gardeners will be on hand to provide free expert advice to make your home garden a success.

Tim Jones has resigned his position as Executive Director of the Richmond Housing Authority to accept the position of Deputy Housing Director for the City of San José. His last day with the City of Richmond was today, Friday, April 7th.

In accepting his resignation, I acknowledged Tim for his hard work on behalf of the Richmond Housing Authority and the Richmond community. Some of you may recall that Mr. Jones joined the Richmond Housing Authority eleven years ago, accepting the courageous challenge to lead what was then a very struggling agency; he did so with grace and professionalism. He also weathered many difficult times, political attacks, and sometimes unreasonable, and often malicious criticism, showing a remarkable strength of character. He has been a key contributor to the City of Richmond management team and will be missed by his fellow employees.

I know that you will join me in thanking Tim for his efforts in Richmond, and wishing him the very best as he continues his career in public service.

4. “Rosie Lays an Egg” – And We Mean it In the Best Possible Way

The San Francisco Bay area – and the world – can get an astonishing view into the life of a pair of Ospreys that are nesting in Richmond, thanks to the launch of the region’s first live streaming Osprey nest camera. The live video stream, viewable at http://SFBayOspreys.org, allows the world to enjoy close and personal views of an Osprey pair – named Rosie and Richmond – as they raise young over the next several months. During this past week, fans were able to observe that Rosie had, in fact, laid an egg.

Before nesting began this spring, the Golden Gate Audubon Society installed two high definition streaming video cameras at an Osprey nesting spot on the historic Whirley Crane at Shipyard 3 of the Port of Richmond. The perspective on the nest affords a close-up view of Osprey family life, while also providing a breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay throughout the day. At night, the cameras switch to infrared mode so that the sleep-time rituals of the family can also be viewable.

According to Cindy Margulis, Executive Director of Golden Gate Audubon, “Ospreys are successfully nesting along the edges of San Francisco Bay for the first time in recorded history. The presence of these charismatic raptors highlights the environmental progress that’s been made in our region, and underscores the opportunities for people to help Ospreys prosper here. We believe that witnessing the life of an Osprey family along our urban shoreline can inspire the whole community to protect Ospreys and other Bay Area wildlife.”

Ospreys are one of nature’s wildest raptors, yet they are now choosing to breed near
people – even using human-made structures like the World War II-era Whirley Crane. While Ospreys historically nested along Northern California lakes, none had been documented nesting on the Bay’s edge before the 1990s. Their numbers started growing in the 2000s, and, by 2016, there were 42 known Osprey pairs nesting, and 51 new Osprey fledglings joined the summer population last season.

Golden Gate Audubon’s new Osprey nest cams will operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Since it is still early in the nesting season, Bay Area residents will be able to observe ongoing bonding and courtship, followed by the incubating/hatching/fledging drama that will play out over the next several months.

Information about Ospreys and how local residents can help them is available on the web site that hosts the nest video stream, www.SFBayOspreys.org. Golden Gate Audubon has also developed a set of free, downloadable lesson plans for secondary school teachers, using the nest cam to inspire enthusiasm for wildlife and ecology and interest in STEM (science/technology/engineering/math). SFBayOspreys.org also hosts a chat room where Osprey fans can ask questions and share observations.

The City of Richmond thanks the Golden Gate Audubon Society, and all those who helped make this remarkable gift possible. And, of course, we thank Rosie and Richmond for allowing us into their home.

5. RichmondBuild Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Last Friday, March 31st, the Employment and Training Department’s RichmondBuild program celebrated the graduation of thirteen men and women as its 32nd cohort, and celebrated its 10th anniversary as one of the nation’s premier construction skills training programs.

RichmondBuild was established in 2007 as a violence reduction strategy for the City of Richmond, and with the leadership of Employment and Training (E&T) Director Sal Vaca, Employment Specialist Fred Lucero, and contributions by numerous E&T staff members, the program has touched many lives. Among RichmondBuild’s accomplishments over the past ten years include:

The program has trained and placed over 1,000 Richmond residents in employment and careers in the construction and renewable energy sectors;

Over 30% of graduates are ex-offenders and nearly all are minorities;

It has achieved an 80% job placement rate with an average starting salary of $18 an hour;

The program was recognized by the federal Department of Labor, Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Workforce Development Board as a “Best Practice”;

It has received the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award;

The program was a semi-finalist for the Harvard Innovations in Government Award;

The E&T department has secured over 30 grants totaling over $13 million during the program’s ten-year history.

Happy Anniversary, RichmondBuild!

6. Energize Richmond: Energy Efficiency Rebates Now Available for Local Small/Medium Businesses

Energize Richmond is the new City program aiming to increase energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Richmond community. The City is partnering with the East Bay Energy Watch Partnership (EBEW), an energy efficiency rebate program that is funded by utility ratepayers at PG&E and MCE, to provide expanded rebates and services to small and medium sized Richmond businesses and to owners of multi-family properties. These programs provide great opportunities to control energy use, decrease energy costs, and meet climate action goals.

For Businesses

Energize Richmond will enable business owners to take control of their multi-family property energy costs by offering:

PG&E and MCE rebates to help Richmond businesses upgrade their lighting, refrigeration, and HVAC;

Free no‐obligation customized analysis funded by PG&E and MCE to help your business save energy and money;

Additional incentives from the City of Richmond to cover out of pocket costs up to $6,000.

Participated in an inteview concerning the Richmond Economic Development Project;

Attended the inaugural meeting of the Richmond Rent Board;

Attended the regular quarterly meeting with representatives from the Hilltop District property owners group, along with Director of Infrastucture Management and Operations Tim Higares;

Provided an opening welcome at the Pacific Sail and Powerboat Show at the Craneway Pavillion;

Attended the quarterly meeting with representatives of the City’s various bargaining units to review the City’s financial status;

Attended the monthly Contra Costa Mayors’ Conference;

Participated on a panel at the Community of Practice seminar, discussing the Office of Neighborhood Safety.

These meetings were in addition to attending the regular management staff meeting, agenda planning, reviewing staff reports to the City Council, doing department head “check-ins,” having discussions on various personnel matters, and having short discussions with staff, community members, members of the press, etc.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the substance of these or any other topics.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Friday, April 14th at 9:00 AM at the Family Justice Center located at 256 24th Street to celebrate the offical opening of the new Electric Vehicle (EV) and Electronic Bicycle Locker Quadrant (E-Locker). The ceremony willl include speakers from the Mayor’s Office, County Supervisor’s Office, and a representative from the Richmond Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. Demonstations will be available for those interested in how to use an EV charger and the electronic bike lockers. A drawing for prizes provided by the West Contra Costa Transportation Commission and E-Lock will also take place for those at the event. We encourage you to come celebrate and learn.

Charging Station and Bicycle Lockers

9. BikeLink Cards

You may have noticed the “BikeLink Sold Here” decal in the City Hall Cashier’s window. The City of Richmond now sells BikeLink cards that can be used to access secure, 24 – hour bicycle lockers. The lockers secure bicycles and materials and are located in designated areas throughout the Bay Area including the Bay Area Rapid Transit Stations (BART) and Richmond City Hall. Cards are sold for $20.00 each to cover the nominal locker rental fees of $.05 per hour. Cards can be purchased with cash or credit.

LifeLong Medical Care provides high-quality health and social services to underserved people of all ages; creates models of care for the elderly, people with disabilities, and families; and advocates for continuous improvements in the health of our communities.

The Lifelong Medical Care team will be coming to RichmondWORKS for a Meet & Greet Event on April 12th from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon. Seating is limited. To pre-register, please call Robbie Hurtado at (510) 307-8060.

Ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of
the Lifelong William Jenkins Health Center

The Miraflores residential development is moving closer to construction. Last Thursday, March 30th, the Employment & Training Department hosted a “Meet the Prime” outreach event in conjunction with Miraflores developers Eden Housing, CHDC, and the Roberts-Obayashi Corporation. The purpose of this event was for local contractors and suppliers to get an overview of the Miraflores Senior Housing Development Project and learn of current and future contracting opportunities.

For more information on this project, please contact Gina Baker at (510) 307-8011.

12. RichmondWORKS Launches Professional Skills Development Academy

Project ACES (Accelerating Careers through Essential Skills) is an industry-designed Essential Skills Academy to better prepare applicants and new employees to join the burgeoning food production/warehouse sector in the City of Richmond and the East Bay. The Academy will focus on enabling participants to develop essential skills for job attainment, and, more importantly, for job retention.

Project Update:
Twenty-three participants completed the first cohort of ACES and all 23 will start working in the food production sector with Food Service Partners (FSP). FSP is a privately owned company created to provide meal production and delivery services to hospitals, skilled nursing homes, and long-term care facilities. FSP is a union shop and provides competitive wages and benefits for all employees.

KCRT DATANET OF THE WEEKCity of Richmond Mobile APP UPDATE
The City of Richmond’s mobile phone app is available on the Apple App store and Google Play store.

Monthly app use has increased each of the last 4 months.

74% of users with the app installed used it at lease once in the month of March.

This City of Richmond mobile app provides Richmond’s community members with one-stop access to City services and information via mobile devices. The app allows quick and real-time reporting of neighborhood-related issues; viewing the City’s Events Calendar; finding addresses and phone numbers of local businesses, city departments and council members. Locating one of Richmond’s numerous parks, and welcoming libraries and community centers, including reserving rental space for that special occasion are all done with ease! You may view the City’s mobile app on YouTube: https://youtu.be/i4W1wVvB9fw The City of Richmond is looking forward to feedback from the community on this upgraded Mobile App. We welcome your comments at webservices@ci.richmond.ca.us

14. Engineering/CIP Departments

Engineering Division

The two sink holes located on Via Verdi Road are continuing to be monitored very closely. This past week, the City Manager and City Attorney took a tour of the area and were able to observe the ongoing monitoring, and assess the landslide area and the road detour that is currently in place.

Via Verdi Road Landslide Area

Streets Division

Paving crews worked from the outstanding pothole list in various locations around the city, patched La Miranda Drive, and continue to address asphalt issues on Via Verdi and Rifle Range Roads.

Creosote Piling Removal – In May 2016, the City Council approved pilot project agreements with the State Coastal Conservancy to remove an estimated 350 tons of creosote treated pilings and concrete decking in Terminal 4, the Red Rocks Warehouse area. The pilings and decking are damaging the intertidal zone species. The project’s goals were to remove the pilings and decking and to re-establish sub-tidal habitats through bio-engineering techniques. Pilings within the project scope were removed in November under the direction of Ducks Unlimited. (Article related to the work here in Richmond: http://bayareamonitor.org/creosote-cleanup-the-san-francisco-bays-piling-problem/).

Subsequently, the City Council approved work to focus on creating a “Living Shoreline” by establishing proper substrate such as eelgrass and fabricated reef structures. This project and site monitoring will continue through 2020 and benefit the native Pacific Herring and Olympia Oyster. It will also provide substate for other organisms to attach their egss and food sources for herring and salmon.

Facilities Maintenance

Carpenters resolved safety issues at the Richmond Swim Center, attended mandatory training, and made adjustments to various work stations within Civic Center Plaza.

Painters repaired and painted areas of the Richmond Auditiorium and attended mandatory training.

Electricians replaced the traffic cabinet at Harbour Way and Ripley Avenue, repaired lights in North Richmond Ball Field bathrooms, and repaired traffic signals at Valley View Drive, De Anza Drive, and Morningside Drive.

Signal Repair

Parks and Landscaping Division

General maintenance crews performed irrigation repairs on Cutting Boulevard, weeded medians on Cutting Boulevard from 23rd Street to Carlson Boulevard, weeded medians on Rydin Road, delivered mulch to KyotoUsa Volunteers, and repaired fencing on the Greenway.

Cutting Median Maintenance

Hilltop Districtcrews continued maintenance around Hilltop Mall business area, continued irrigation installation on Richmond Country Club Vista landscaping project, finished sheet mulching and finished layout for plant placement and flagging at the Country Club Vista landscaping project.

Irrigation Work at Country Club Vista

Marina Districtcrews mowed lawns, prepped for the upcoming Boat Show, assisted with the final stages of the Barbara J. Vincent Park playground improvements, and completed irrigation and weed abatement throughout the area.

Installation at Barbara J. Vincent Park

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about these or any other items of interest to you.